The detection of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos and ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) provides a new way to explore sources of cosmic rays. One of the highest energy neutrino events detected by IceCube, tagged as IC35, is close to the UHECR anisotropy region detected by Pierre Auger Observatory. The nearby starburst galaxy (SBG), NGC 4945, is close to this anisotropic region and inside the mean angular error of the IC35 event. Considering the hypernovae contribution located in the SB region of NGC 4945, which can accelerate protons up to $\sim 10^{17} \, {\rm eV}$ and inject them into the interstellar medium, we investigate the origin of this event around this starburst galaxy. We show that the interaction of these protons with the SB region's gas density could explain Fermi-LAT gamma-ray and radio observations if the magnetic field's strength in the SB region is the order of $\sim \rm mG$. Our estimated PeV neutrino events, in ten years, for this source is approximately 0.01 ($4\times10^{-4}$) if a proton spectral index of 2.4 (2.7) is considered, which would demonstrate that IC35 is not produced in the central region of this SBG. Additionally, we consider the superwind region of NGC 4945 and show that protons can hardly be accelerated in it up to UHEs.
Recent multi-wavelength observations indicate that some starburst galaxies show a dominant nonthermal contribution from its central region. These active galactic nuclei (AGN)-starburst composites are of special interest, as both phenomena on their own are potential sources of the high-energetic cosmic rays and their accompanied gamma-ray and neutrino emission. Here, we will focus on NGC 1068, which is known since several years from its atypical radio-gamma-ray correlation. Recently this source has also shown strong indications of high energy neutrino emission. A first semi-analytical, two-comp…
Multi-wavelength observations indicate that some starburst galaxies show a dominant non-thermal contribution from their central region. These active galactic nuclei (AGN)-starburst composites are of special interest, as both phenomena on their own are potential sources of highly-energetic cosmic rays and associated gamma-ray and neutrino emission. In this work, a homogeneous, steady-state two-zone multi-messenger model of the non-thermal emission from the AGN corona as well as the circumnuclear starburst region is developed and subsequently applied to the case of NGC 1068, which has recently s…
We report the detection of high-energy gamma-ray emission from two starburst galaxies using data obtained with the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Steady point-like emission above 200 MeV has been detected at significance levels of 6.8 sigma and 4.8 sigma respectively, from sources positionally coincident with locations of the starburst galaxies M82 and NGC 253. The total fluxes of the sources are consistent with gamma-ray emission originating from the interaction of cosmic rays with local interstellar gas and radiation fields and constitute evidence for a li…
Starburst galaxies exhibit in their central regions a highly increased rate of supernovae, the remnants of which are thought to accelerate energetic cosmic rays up to energies of ~ 10^15 eV. We report the detection of gamma rays -- tracers of such cosmic rays -- from the starburst galaxy NGC 253 using the H.E.S.S. array of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. The gamma-ray flux above 220 GeV is F = (5.5 +/- 1.0stat +/- 2.8sys) x 10^-13 ph. s-1 cm-2, implying a cosmic-ray density about three orders of magnitude larger than that in the center of the Milky Way. The fraction of cosmic-ray ene…
In the light of recent results detecting the nearest starburst galaxies M 82 and NGC 253 at very high energy (VHE), we present a multi-wavelength model succesfully explaining their gamma-ray diffuse emission. The detection of M 82 was presented by VERITAS collaboration in the recent ICRC, while the integral flux of the fainter NGC253 has just been published by HESS Collaboration. Also, in the 2009 Fermi Symposium itself, Fermi data coming from the direction of both galaxies was released, thus confirming their detection in the high energy (HE) regime. Slight and reasonable variations in the spa…
Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays are the most energetic of any subatomic particles ever observed in nature. The quest for their mysterious origin is currently a major scientific challenge. Here we explore the possibility that these particles originate from nearby starburst galaxies, a scenario that matches the recent observation by the Telescope Array experiment of a cosmic-ray hotspot above 57~EeV not far from the direction of the starburst galaxy M82. Specifically, we study the stochastic propagation in space of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays through the state-of-the-art simulation framework CRPro…
The cores of Arp 220, the closest ultra-luminous infrared starburst galaxy, provide an opportunity to study interactions of cosmic rays under extreme conditions. In this paper, we model the populations of cosmic rays produced by supernovae in the central molecular zones of both starburst nuclei. We find that ~65 - 100% of cosmic rays are absorbed in these regions due to their huge molecular gas contents, and thus, the nuclei of Arp 220 nearly complete proton calorimeters. As the cosmic ray protons collide with the interstellar medium, they produce secondary electrons that are also contained wi…
Recently, gamma-ray emission at TeV energies has been detected from the starburst galaxies NGC253 (Acero et al., 2009) and M82 (Acciari et al., 2009. It has been claimed that pion production due to cosmic rays accelerated in supernova remnants interacting with the interstellar gas is responsible for the observed gamma rays. Here, we show that the gamma-ray pulsar wind nebulae left behind by the supernovae contribute to the TeV luminosity in a major way. A single pulsar wind nebula produces about ten times the total luminosity of the Sun at energies above 1 TeV during a lifetime of 10^5 years. …
The combined effects of supernova explosions and stellar winds produce a hot bubble in the central regions of starburst galaxies. As the bubble expands, it can outbreak into the galactic halo driving a superwind that transports hot gas and fields to the intergalactic space. We present estimates of cosmic ray generation and gamma-ray emission in both this large-scale wind and the bow shocks created around the embedded clouds.
The galaxies M82, NGC 253, NGC 1068, and NGC 4945 have been detected in gamma-rays by Fermi. Previously, we developed and tested a model for cosmic ray interactions in the starburst galaxy M82. Now, we aim to explore the differences between starburst and active galactic nuclei (AGN) environments by applying our self-consistent model to the starburst galaxy NGC 253 and the Seyfert galaxy NGC 1068. Assuming constant cosmic-ray acceleration efficiency by supernova remnants with Milky-Way parameters, we calculate the cosmic-ray proton and primary and secondary electron/positron populations, predic…
Diffusion coefficients are usually used to describe the propagation of Cosmic Rays through the Universe. Whereas such transport parameters can be obtained from experiments in the Solar System, it is difficult to determine diffusion coefficients in the Milky Way or in external galaxies. Recently a value for the perpendicular diffusion coefficient in the nearby starburst halaxy NGC 253 has been proposed. In the present paper we reproduce this value theoretically by using an advanced analytical theory for perpendicular diffusion.
In this paper the current status of γ-ray observations of starburst galaxies from hundreds of MeV up to TeV energies with space-based instruments and ground-based Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) is summarised. The properties of the high-energy (HE; 100 MeV < E < 100 GeV) and very-high-energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) emission of the archetypical starburst galaxies M 82 and NGC 253 are discussed and put into context with the HE γ-ray emission detected from other galaxies that show enhanced star-formation activity such as NGC 4945 and NGC 1068. Finally, prospects to study the star-form…
Recent detection of high-energy gamma-ray emission from starburst galaxies M82 and NGC 253 suggests that starburst galaxies are huge reservoirs of cosmic rays and these cosmic rays convert a significant fraction of their energy into gamma-rays by colliding with the dense interstellar medium. In this paper, we report the search for high-energy gamma-ray emission from several nearby star-forming and starburst galaxies using the 68 month data obtained with the Fermi Large Area Telescope. We found a $\sim5.5σ$ detection of gamma-ray emission above 200{\rm MeV} from a source spatially coincident wi…
The Pierre Auger Collaboration has provided a compelling indication for a possible correlation between the arrival directions of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays and nearby starburst galaxies. Herein we show how the latest large-scale modeling of starburst galaxies is compatible with the cosmic rays producing the anisotropy signal being accelerated at the terminal shock of superwinds.
We present a systematic study of the non-thermal electron-proton plasma and its emission processes in starburst galaxies in order to explain the correlation between the luminosity in the radio band and the recently observed gamma luminosity. In doing so, a steady state description of the cosmic ray electrons and protons within the spatially homogeneous starburst is considered where continuous momentum losses are included as well as catastrophic losses due to diffusion and advection. The primary source of the relativistic cosmic rays, e.g. supernova remnants, provides a quasi-neutral plasma wit…
Very recently, the Pierre Auger Collaboration reported a $4.5σ$ correlation between the arrival directions of the highest energy cosmic rays and nearby starburst galaxies. The cosmic rays producing the anisotropy signal have been proposed to originate in low-luminosity gamma-ray bursts (llGRBs). On the basis of the well-justified assumption that at redshift $z<0.3$ the host metallicity is a good indicator of the llGRB production rate, we show that the association of llGRBs and the starbursts correlating with Auger data is excluded at the 90% confidence level.
Auger data show evidence for a correlation between ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) and nearby starburst galaxies. This intriguing correlation is consistent with data collected by the Telescope Array, which have revealed a much more pronounced directional ``hot spot'' in arrival directions not far from the starburst galaxy M82. In this work, we assume starbursts are sources of UHECRs and investigate the prospects to use the observed distribution of UHECR arrival directions to constrain Galactic magnetic field models. We show that if the Telescope Array hot spot indeed originates from M82,…
The Fermi/LAT collaboration recently reported the detection of starburt galaxies in the high energy gamma-ray domain, as well as radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 objects. Motivated by the presence of sources close to the location of composite starburst/Seyfert 2 galaxies in the first year Fermi/LAT catalogue, we aim at studying high energy gamma-ray emission from such objects, and at disentangling the emission of starburst and Seyfert activity. We analysed 1.6 years of Fermi/LAT data from NGC 1068 and NGC 4945, which count among the brightest Seyfert 2 galaxies. We search for potential variabi…
NGC 253 is a nearby starburst galaxy in the Sculptor group located at a distance of 3.5 Mpc that has been suggested by some authors as a potential site for cosmic-ray acceleration up to ultra-high energies. Its nuclear region is heavily obscured by gas and dust, which prevents establishing whether or not the galaxy harbours a supermassive black hole coexisting with the starburst. Some sources have been proposed in the literature as candidates for an active nucleus. In this work, we aim at determining the implications that the presence of a supermassive black hole at the nucleus of NGC 253 migh…
The Fermi/LAT collaboration recently reported the detection of starburt galaxies in the high energy gamma-ray domain, as well as radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 objects, which were previously unusual extragalactic suspects for high energy emission. Motivated by the presence of sources close to the location of composite starburst/Seyfert 2 galaxies in the first year Fermi/LAT catalogue, we studied high energy gamma-ray emission from such objects, aiming at disentangling the emission of starburst and Seyfert activity. We analysed 1.6 years of Fermi/LAT data from NGC 1068 and NGC 4945, which cou…
The sources of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) have been stubbornly elusive. However, the latest report of the Pierre Auger Observatory provides a compelling indication for a possible correlation between the arrival directions of UHECRs and nearby starburst galaxies. We argue that if starbursts are sources of UHECRs, then particle acceleration in the large-scale terminal shock of the superwind that flows from the starburst engine represents the best known concept model in the market. We investigate new constraints on the model and readjust free parameters accordingly. We show that UHECR …
The GeV and TeV emission from M82 and NGC 253 observed by Fermi, HESS, and VERITAS constrains the physics of cosmic rays (CRs) in these dense starbursts. We argue that the gamma rays are predominantly hadronic in origin, as expected by previous studies. The measured fluxes imply that pionic losses are efficient for CR protons in both galaxies: we show that a fraction F_cal ~ 0.2 - 0.4 of the energy injected in high energy primary CR protons is lost to inelastic proton-proton collisions (pion production) before escape, producing gamma rays, neutrinos, and secondary electrons and positrons. We d…
Starburst galaxies are huge reservoirs of cosmic rays (CRs) and these CRs convert a significant fraction of their energy into gamma-rays by colliding with the interstellar medium (ISM). The produced GeV gamma-ray emission is temporally stable and the flux is found to correlate well with indicators of star formation rates, such as the total infrared (IR) luminosity $L_{\rm IR}$ and monochromatic radio continuum luminosity at 1.4 GHz $L_{\rm 1.4\ GHz}$, i.e., following $L_γ-L_{\rm IR}$ and $L_γ-L_{\rm 1.4\ GHz}$ relations. Recently, gamma-ray excesses are reported to be spatially coincident with…
We present a deep (~5.8 days) 0.3-2 keV high-resolution spectrum of NGC1365, collected with the reflection grating spectrometer (RGS) on board XMM-Newton. The spectrum is dominated by strong recombination lines of He- and H-like transitions from carbon to silicon, as well as by L transitions from FeXVII. The continuum is strong, especially in the 10 to 20 Angstrom, range. Formal fits require two optically thin, collisionally ionised plasma components, with temperatures ~300 and ~640 eV. However, they leave the bulk of the forbidden components of the He-alpha OVII and NVI triplets unaccounted f…
Recent work has both illuminated and mystified our attempts to understand cosmic rays (CRs) in starburst galaxies. I discuss my new research exploring how CRs interact with the ISM in starbursts. Molecular clouds provide targets for CR protons to produce pionic gamma rays and ionization, but those same losses may shield the cloud interiors. In the densest molecular clouds, gamma rays and Al-26 decay can provide ionization, at rates up to those in Milky Way molecular clouds. I then consider the free-free absorption of low frequency radio emission from starbursts, which I argue arises from many …
Measurement sensitivity in the energetic gamma-ray region has improved considerably, and is about to increase further in the near future, motivating a detailed calculation of high-energy (>100 MeV) and very-high-energy (VHE: >100 GeV) gamma-ray emission from the nearby starburst galaxy NGC253. Adopting the convection-diffusion model for energetic electron and proton propagation, and accounting for all the relevant hadronic and leptonic processes, we determine the steady-state energy distributions of these particles by a detailed numerical treatment. The electron distribution is directly normal…
Ultra high energy cosmic ray events presently show a spectrum, which we interpret here as galactic cosmic rays due to a starburst in the radio galaxy Cen A pushed up in energy by the shock of a relativistic jet. The knee feature and the particles with energy immediately higher in galactic cosmic rays then turn into the bulk of ultra high energy cosmic rays. This entails that all ultra high energy cosmic rays are heavy nuclei. This picture is viable if the majority of the observed ultra high energy events come from the radio galaxy Cen A, and are scattered by intergalactic magnetic fields acros…
We present nearly simultaneous Chandra and NuSTAR observations of two actively star-forming galaxies within 50 Mpc: NGC 3256 and NGC 3310. Both galaxies are detected by both Chandra and NuSTAR, which together provide the first-ever spectra of these two galaxies spanning 0.3-30 keV. The X-ray emission from both galaxies is spatially resolved by Chandra; we find that hot gas dominates the E < 1-3 keV emission while ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) dominate at E > 1-3 keV. The NuSTAR galaxy-wide spectra of both galaxies follow steep power-law distributions with Gamma ~ 2.6 at E > 5-7 keV, simil…
